Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L. Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, has decided that now that I am not off having adventures by chasing storms, warning people about the storm that is coming, and helping the people who are devastated by them, I should write about my Sunday School Class.  She wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

The Turtle Team was officially off until after New Years.  That meant that everyone in the Sunday school class with a code name was present:  Home Wrecker (Dr. Ellie, officially in charge of storm chasing), Mama’s Man (Dr. Ben, Ellie’s relief and husband), B.B. (Bossy Boss, Mary Sheltie Jones, the director, producer, and bottle washer for the television channel), No Joe (Joseph Jones, parttime storm chaser and husband of B.B.), Skinny (Kevin Johnson), Amazon (Joseline Johnson, Kevin’s wife), That’s My Boy (Michael Rowe Casey, adopted son of Ellie and Ben).  And then there is Easy (Easter Yeggs, my husband) who like me is off a little longer due to our little baby, now two weeks old, Stormie Yeggs.  Dr. Ellie gave Arabella Dalton the code name Fireball, but as of yet, she has not gone on a storm chase.  I can’t wait for that to happen.  Fireball says whatever pops into her head, and to have her on a storm chase in the middle of something exciting could be a laugh riot.  But then parents would want the university to let every thirteen-year-old into the Turtle.

B.B. helped me with my hair, although I had better range of motion now that the baby bump was gone.  Thinking of baby bumps, Dr. Ellie was showing a noticeable bump.  She wasn’t due until the first part of May, but I quit storm chasing in the summer.  Dr. Kildare had not made any announcements, but they needed either Dr. Ellie or Dr. Ben in the Turtle, or an alternate driver.  By the first or second week of the next semester, Easy would be back in the Turtle.  The state requires storm chasing drivers to be 25 and have a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License).  In a couple of months, okay, four months, Easy will apply for the CDL, but he won’t be 25 for another four years.  The state would allow B.B. to be the supervisor, to prove that the Turtle was not a bunch of joy riders, but T.R.U.S.T. was being conservative, since some people might question that decision.  And they had trouble when I went out on maternity leave.

We came out to see one more new student in the classroom.

“Hi, Mary Jo! Are you joining us?” I asked.  Mary Jo Lynn was the pregnant mother who delivered her baby in a bathtub in Florida during Hurricane Frank last year, delivered by B.B. and Dr. Ellie (meteorologist, not medical doctor).  And Frank is doing well.  Frank had no father, since his biological father died in the hurricane, but with B.B. and Doctor Ellie visiting a lot, it was like Frank had three mothers.

Mary Jo smiled, “Darrell and Sally Mae volunteered me to be a couple for Tamara Collins.  Her boyfriend is too busy to attend, and we can do the daily reading together.”

I was confused, “It’s not daily reading, Mary Jo.  My e-mails just say to read over some verses before class, but if you and Tamara want to read them every day, that’s great.  And you get to visit with someone new.”

Mary Jo smiled and nodded.

Pastor Joseph led us in prayer and then Emmett shocked me.  He has always sung an old hymn.  This time, his little group sang Still Waters by Leanna Crawford.  Mostly Menzie sang some solo parts, but other parts lent themselves to everyone singing.  But the last two lines were an Arabella solo, “Your goodness and mercy will follow me all of my days. I know by Your still waters I’m safe.”

But a strange thing happened.  Darrell was slapping his thighs like he was playing the drums.

Emmett asked, “Darrell, are you a drummer?”

Darrell shrugged, “I played drums in the school band and in the jazz band, but compared to you, I’m a maintenance man, not a musician.”

Emmett smiled, “Not from what I saw.  With a little practice, you might be good enough.  Let’s talk this afternoon after church.  Missy and Menzie are getting a group of swing dancers together, mostly for exercise, but we might put on a show some day.  We’ve been playing recordings, and that lets me try to learn with Sophie, but if we had someone just to keep the beat, we’d be really appreciative.”

I asked, “Can I get started?  We are discussing God’s Immanence today.”

Arabella said, “Dictionary, please!”

Easy said, “Spelling is important this week.  Imminence, with an “I”, means you are expecting someone any minute.  Immanence, with an “A”, means God is not just everywhere, He is within everything.  Remember that Jesus said that God knows the number of all the hairs on your head.”

I interrupted, “Oh, Tamara, I saw you wince.  Are you alright?”

Tamara said, “I’m fine.  For those in the room who don’t know.  I am a cancer survivor.  I lost my hair during chemo, and it is slowly growing back.  And right now, I have a lot of hair, not the same color as before, but it is like a boy’s buzz cut.  What Easy said actually made me feel comfort.  I didn’t go to church before I moved here, and knowing that God knows how many hairs I have and I know they are growing, regardless of color, I feel a special promise from God that He is looking after me personally.”

Easy said, “Thanks, Tamara, I did not mean any disrespect.  I just meant that Jesus saying that means that God is looking out for us even on a cellular level, or even smaller.  So, His immanence, with an “A”, means God is everywhere and within everything.  He loves us that much.”

Arabella said, “Thank you, Mr. Dictionary.”  Then she covered her mouth and giggled.

Dr. Ellie (1 Kings 8:27): ““But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!”

Arabella says, “That was my verse from last week!”  I nodded.

Dr. Ellie said, “This talks more about omnipresence than immanence, but I can get the connection.”

Dr. Ben (Acts 17:27-28): “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”

Dr. Ben said, “Okay, I get it in those verses.  If we are living, moving, and having our being, it’s like Easy said about God knowing us at the cellular level, not to be confused with a supercell.”

Easy was holding Stormie and he said, “Don’t say that too loud.  Little Miss Supercell might wake up.”  For clarification, Stormie was born while a mesocyclone hovered over Tracy, otherwise known as a supercell.

B.B. (Psalm 139:7-10): “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

Blaise said, “And that was my selection last week.”

B.B. said, “But the part that is about God’s immanence is the last little bit.  In all those places, which is everywhere, God’s hand is upon us, guiding us and holding us fast.”

I murmured to myself, “Who is the hopeless romantic here?  Oh, yeah, perfect!”

Missy MacDougall (Song of Songs 5:2-8) “I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My beloved is knocking: ‘Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.’ I have taken off my robe—must I put it on again? I have washed my feet—must I soil them again? My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him. I arose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer. The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me, they bruised me; they took away my cloak, those watchmen of the walls! Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you—if you find my beloved, what will you tell him? Tell him I am faint with love.”

Missy said, “I need my heart to slow down for a minute.  That sounds to me like she regretted her delay in receiving her husband.  She had excuses, but by the time she got to the door, he was gone.”

I nodded, “God wants an intimate relationship with us.  In this passage we might think of a physical relationship, but this entire book in the Bible is about an intense love relationship that we all should have with God.  This little bit has the recipient of God’s love seeking out God, and the Watchmen take her for being a prostitute.  Who else would be out in the middle of the night, looking for her lover.  So, we all should be earnestly desiring God.  We will be praising Him when we get to Paradise, praising Him forever.  Why not start now?”

Penny (Galatians 4:6) “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.””

Penny asked, “But what does Abba mean?”

Easy smiled, “I guess since I am Mr. Dictionary, according to a little fireball in the choir, Abba is basically ‘Daddy.’  If you felt icky thinking of an intimate sexual relationship with God, Song of Songs is talking of intensity of love.  But my Daddy gives great bearhugs.  Sometimes you feel like he might squeeze all the air out of you or you might crack a rib.  But when my Daddy hugs you, you know it.  You feel safe in that hug.  You feel warmth in the hug.  You feel love being hugged by my Daddy.  And the same goes for God.  God the Father is not some untouchable Father that is way out there.  God the Father is nearby, wanting to give you a hug.  But back to the Song of Songs analogy.  The groom knocked and when she did not answer, he went on with his business.  Then, the bride, or just the one being loved by God, sees her error but God has moved from the other side of the door.  With us, when we get too busy for God, it is us moving away from God.  But the groom could have knocked the door down.  He did not.  He was polite.  He did not wish to intrude.  That is God.  If we do not desire God, He will not intrude.  But His door is always open when we have that desire.  And once God is in your heart, He will never leave you.”

I snickered, “Thank you, Mr. Dictionary.  And no, I am not suggesting Home Wrecker change your code name.”

Dr. Ellie said, laughing “But if I find an inopportune time, to maximize embarrassment, you can count on it.”

I snickered, “But getting back to the immanence of God.  God the Father is like our father.  Jesus is like our brother.  And, I guess you could say that the Holy Spirit is a special member of the immediate family.  Do you have a grandparent, aunt, uncle, that special person who is the one you go to for advice?  They encourage you.  They give you a hug even when you have not been that nice.  That person might be Aunt Pink, even when she is not a blood relative, or Aunt Gwen for that matter since no one is her blood relative here.  But the Holy Spirit is our guide, our advocate, our encourager to do the right thing and then the giver of good gifts when we do those things, just like that special relative who is always there for you.”

Pink walked into the room.  “Talking about me behind my back?!  Shame on you, Stinker.”

Arabella laughed, “But it was all good stuff, Mommie Pinkie.”

Pink turned to the class.  “Just remember.  I am human too.  I make mistakes, but God does not.  Now, as for my mistake, I left my journal in my middle desk drawer.  I wanted to reference it at church today.”

She got her journal and was about to leave.

I said, “Aunt Pink, we were about to leave.  Can you say our benediction along with us?”

Arabella said, “It’s the Aaronic one, not the ironic one.”

Pink snickered, but she nodded.

I nodded, “As we have been doing, let’s end with our benediction.  Everyone bow your heads in prayer.  ‘“‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.’”’” (Numbers 6:24-26)

I paused after each line so that everyone could say it.

And everyone said, “Amen.”

As everyone started to leave, I pulled Tamara aside.  “Tamara, are you coming to our church again?”

Tamara shook her head, “Not this week.  Since Mary Jo and the Drivers go to the same church that my boss, Priscilla Standish, goes to, I was hoping to catch her during the social gathering after the service to talk about things that do not relate to work.  I’ll tell her that I love your class.  Maybe I’ll be back to hear your, ummm, Abba, preach next week.”

I nodded, “Shop around.  Find the service that best fits you.”

Tamara smiled and left with Mary Jo.

As I turned to get the diaper bag, Easy, or is it Mr. Dictionary, was putting Stormie into the car seat.  Next to the diaper bag was a sack, like Santa’s sack.  I had a tag on it that read, “To Stinker, the best Sunday school teacher at Lily the Pink.”  I was thinking that I was probably the only Sunday school teacher at Lily the Pink.  I opened the sack, and it was filled with small gifts.  It looked like everyone in the class had gotten me something.

I asked my husband. “How did this get here?”

Easy shrugged, “How should I know?  I was taking care of Stormie while you taught the lesson.  But if I had to guess, Aunt Pink had it hidden under her desk and then slid it out when she got her journal.  You do realize that was the first time she ever interrupted class.”

I gave him a concerned look, “And with that kind of observation and drawing conclusions, why did you not follow your Dad into police work?”

Easy shrugged, “You can use those skills with just about any job.  Besides, I love storm chasing and there are fewer dead bodies when you chase storms.”

I was thinking that he could have gone into Robbery and Burglary, but I let that idea remain unsaid.  I was just glad we were now a family, on our way to church.

When we came back to Lily the Pink, after church, I picked up the bag. It was mostly stuff a young mother needs. Hand lotions and creams, travel sizes of baby oil and baby powder. Nothing of great monetary value, but priceless, knowing that they love me.

Credits

I am using suggested Bible verses from The Attributes of God, A Journey into the Father’s Heart by A.W. Tozer, in two volumes. My two volumes have a Study Guide by David E. Fessenden, which is designed for each chapter of Tozer’s book. I may review those chapters to keep Stinker from straying too much, but the nature of her class is that the class tends to stray anyway. I am not using Rev. Tozer’s comments directly.

And here is Still Waters by Leanna Crawford

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.